


he came, he went, he left me (in pieces)

by peterandhispirate



Category: Twenty One Pilots, joshler - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Emotional Manipulation, Explicit Language, Implied Sexual Content, Josh needs a hug, Lies, M/M, tyler is flighty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-23 22:49:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7482963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peterandhispirate/pseuds/peterandhispirate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"One day, you're gonna take in a stray that'll break your heart."</p>
            </blockquote>





	he came, he went, he left me (in pieces)

**Author's Note:**

> in the end, blame every damn imagine dragons song, not me. enjoy this; drop some feedback my way, if you feel up to it!!

At the end of the day, Josh knew he should've listened to all of the warnings.

What did his mom say?  _"Not a good idea."_

What did his sister say?  _"Hell no! What are you thinking?"_

But what did Tyler say?  _"Guess I haven't eaten all_ _that well in... Damn. A long time."_

And those twelve worlds were the beginning embers of a big, messy wildfire.

But Josh looked at Tyler - bags under his eyes, tameless hair, pathetic expression on his pretty face - and he did what he always did:

he caved.

It was this way he had. This desire to care for those that clearly hadn't been cared for in a long time. 

(The doe-eyes and toothy smile were just a bonus.)

You would think he'd have learned his lesson by now. Would have figured out that no matter how much you love a stray dog, he'll always be just that: a stray. A wanderer, a wild thing, a goodbye.

Doe-eyes and a toothy smile wouldn't change that.

But there he was, leading Tyler back to his apartment by the hand.

Stupid. So fucking stupid.

Tyler fucking Joseph, who only had a suitcase and charm beneath his exhaustion. That was it.

Josh never even learned his middle name.

Tyler Joseph, who didn't know what he wanted or where he was going or what the fuck he was even _doing_. Human wrecking ball, self-destructive lone wolf, freight train that never traveled down the same tracks twice.

And Josh Dun wanted to make the guy breakfast and kiss his knuckles and keep him warm- even if it meant _he_ starved and _his_ knuckles remained unkissed and _he_ got hypothermia.

So much love to give ~~and yet he got little to none in return.~~

You have to give Tyler some credit, though: at least he tried. He bought a few cheap flowers and said a few cheap things; to Josh, it was better than nothing.

Even lies taste better than that vast, empty _nothing_. And these weren't just any lies, oh no. They were the best kind.

The _"I need you"_ kind.

The _"I'll always be right here"_ kind.

The _"I love you"_ kind.

And maybe Tyler liked it, all that toying around with each gullible heartstring, each lovely word. He tarnished it all, sure, but he found a sick sort of satisfaction in doing so.

After all, toying with those heartstrings and words got him nice food and a nice bed and a nice roof over his head; it got Josh on his knees and screaming his name like a prayer in the late hours of the night.

But then came that itch he couldn't scratch, that restlessness. _Time to leave again,_ it said. _Let's go._

And maybe Tyler had been purring out so many things, so many words - f u t u r e, w e d d i n g, k i d s - that he had begun to believe them himself. _Want_ them himself.

And yet there was that damnable itch.

_Time to leave again,_ he thought as he felt Josh's sleepy arms around him. Drowning him, suffocating him. _Let's go._

So he mumbled out something like "be right back" as he slipped out from beneath the ~~warm~~ burning-hot sheets. Just one more lie. It made no difference, at that point.

And as Josh slept, Tyler grabbed his suitcase- the only thing he could ever truly devote himself to.

As Josh dreamed of a future and a wedding and kids, Tyler took one last look around.

As Josh's arms began to feel empty, cold ~~just like Tyler~~ , the front door drifted open and drifted back shut.

As Josh opened his eyes to a vast, empty _nothing_ that he knew all too well, Tyler was sitting silently on a wheezing little bus and staring at the shoes Josh had bought for him when his old ones became too tattered.

As Josh wailed _"no!"_ Tyler whispered _"fuck."_

 

Time to leave again.

 

Let's go.

 


End file.
